Portland, Oregon: In an unexpectedly candid turn for the new year, local photographer Jack Bennett has resolved to ditch the artistic jargon and admit he's simply "taking pictures." This straightforward declaration is causing quite the stir in a community known for its often grandiloquent descriptions of their craft.
"For too long, I've draped my work in fancy terms," Jack confessed. "I once described a blurry photo of my lunch as 'an exploration in culinary abstraction.' Let's be real; I just forgot to focus."
The change has been both refreshing and disorienting for Jack's followers. "Last week, he posted a picture of a sunset with the caption, 'Sunset.' I spent hours trying to decode the deeper meaning," said a long-time Instagram follower.
Jack's new approach stems from a recent epiphany. "I attended a gallery where someone showcased 'a meditation on the existential plight of urban pigeons.' They were just pigeon photos. Good ones, but still."
Responses from the photography community have been mixed. "It's revolutionary," praised a local art student. "He's stripping away the veneer of pretense." Conversely, a fellow photographer lamented, "Without the flowery language, how will anyone know we're serious artists?"
Jack's newfound simplicity extends beyond captions. "I considered explaining ISO settings to a beginner. Halfway through, I just said, 'It makes your photo brighter or darker. Play around with it.'"
Some speculate this resolution might be short-lived. "I give him until February," remarked a cynical camera club member. "By then, he'll be back to calling a tree 'a study in arboreal resilience.'"
Despite the skepticism, Jack remains committed to his resolution. "Next, I might start naming my photos with just numbers. Or better yet, the file names straight out of the camera. 'DSC_0053' has a certain ring to it, don't you think?"
Whether this no-nonsense approach will catch on is yet to be seen. For now, Jack is enjoying his new-found liberation from the shackles of artistic verbosity, one plainly-named photograph at a time.
:-)
:)
This is likely one of the best posts I have ever seen here. Sure there are many great reviews and hints and tips etc but this takes the cake for pure honesty.
Agreed. I have refused to expend any life-force/energy on the BS game myself... like since day one.
I've been much happier for it.
I'd even included a "philosophy" page regarding my art on my web site; if you'd like to look at/read it go to http://www.studiomueller-ca.com/StudioMueller/Philosophy.html (it's rather lengthy so pasting in the text here would overwhelm the nature of a "forum.")
Regards,
It is interesting that the article that you consider to be so honest is pure fiction! I do know what you mean, but the irony is significant.
Ironic that truth and honesty is often conveyed by analogy and metaphor? Some of the greatest truths and honest looks at life have been told through fiction. There was once a Tortoise and a Hare......
Another great piece, Alex!
Unbelievably, somebody reading this article is going to think there actually is a photographer Jack Bennett, and that he actually said these things. It is amusing that some people don't recognize fun, satirical fiction for what it is.
To be honnest i'm not against cutting the crap and naming things in simple terms.
Sometimes we do believe we 're observing something like Wile-E-Coyote - in his battles with Sam Sheepdog.
We should start giving comments like comming from mars. That'd be funny (let's do that on april fools).
You should try that with something simple, like buying some food at your favorite take-away.
<3
I could totally go for using file names.
I'm from Portland, so... But how do we know that the author of this article is real? Most of the articles posted by them are rehashed youtubes with little original content. Perhaps they are an AI generated content? There's been a lot of articles from them that appear to be fiction, as if they are AI spam.
I'm definitely probably real. Beep boop.
Alex is obviously real, and quite a talented writer when he creates his own content from scratch, instead of summarizing somebody else's YouTube video or announcing a new product release.
That's so kind of you; that made my day! Thank you, Tom!
These last two satirical pieces that you have posted over the past week are masterfully written. Seriously.
It must be quite fun to write such articles!
They really are my favorite to write!
Don't always believe what you read online. Just use your best judgement.
when I commented about the honesty of this article my main thought was how well it skewers the pretense of the art world in general. Artists / Photogs will create a piece and then the "Critics" will stress and strain in a contest to come up with most verbally tortured explanation of what the artist's thoughts and intentions were. And then to torture the whole thing even more they lay some supposed meaning on the thing as if their thoughts about the piece are the only thoughts that matter. In the art world what the supposed right people "say" about a piece is far far more important than the piece itself. At least by what I can tell.
Mr Cooke , I believed, highlighted this bit of truth quite well. I mean I am not sure I have ever heard an artist say , Oh I am just painting....
and by the way here is Photographer Jack Bennett's Web Page... https://jackbennettphoto.com.au/
I am sure he would like a visit or two..... Peace......
The character in the article reminds me of David Bowie in a way. In interviews, when Bowie was asked about the meaning of his cryptic lyrics, he would refuse to discuss them or to say what he meant by them. He wanted the music and the lyrics to stand on their own, much like our photographer Jack Bennett.
I could not agree more with this guy and his decision to cut the BS in his pictures. Frankly, if you don’t feel the picture as Art then it’s not. pretty simple.
Yeah, use the file name straight out from the camera. Let the viewers imagination run wild as to what they should call it! Same goes to what equipment that you used, just the serial number.